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Rep. Michael McCaul: Soft targets most at risk in Sochi, Russia

Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, stands on the balcony of his hotel, which overlooks the Olympic Park, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Nataliya Vasilyeva)

Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas Republican, said Wednesday that soft targets outside the immediate Olympic area in Sochi are likely at the greatest risk for a terrorist attack.

“It’s quite fortified and it’s very impressive, but it only takes one suicide bomber to get in to cause a real problem,” the House Homeland Security Committee chairman said on CNN, speaking from Sochi, Russia. “I think what we’re going to see is more explosions like the train station and the bus. There are soft targets outside the Olympic village where they can make the same statement.”

While the Russians and Americans have been working together to ensure athletes and spectators are safe in the Sochi Olympics later this month, Mr. McCaul said it would be beneficial for Russia to share more intelligence with the U.S.

“The area that needs to be improved quite frankly is the intelligence sharing component. The Russians haven’t been quite that candid with us. I think we could help them a great deal if they would open up information sharing to us,” he said.

He also pointed out that America has developed better improvised explosive device detection technology after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that could help, since IEDs are the weapon of choice in that area, Mr. McCaul said.

Mr. McCaul said the close proximity to an area with a high-level of terrorist activity and the wanted posters for a “black widow” terrorist who may already be inside Sochi do concern him, but that Americans not attending the games because of fear would be a victory for the terrorists.

“This security operation is the most impressive and fortified we’ve seen in Olympic history,” he said. “Nothing is ever safe, but I would say these are historic games we should all enjoy.”